Psalms 148
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Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 148:1-14
Praise the Name of the Lord
1Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
3Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
6And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
7Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
9Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
11Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 148:1-14
Psalm 148
1Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
2Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
5Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
6and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12young men and women,
old men and children.
13Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
This Psalm overflows with praise!
It calls the inhabitants “that live in the heights above,…all his angels, [and] all His heavenly armies” to praise the Lord!
Even more intriguing, it invites “sun and moon” to praise Him, as well as “shining stars.”
“By his command they were fixed in their places forever, and they cannot disobey” (TEV).
They can’t choose to do anything else.
Only the selfish hearts of humanity have the ability to rebel against our Creator. Yet, through His sacrifice, Christ has restored to us freedom to choose Him. We can tune our hearts to His praise!
We will be free throughout Eternity to praise or not, but contemplating the Love that sacrificed all Heaven will win our hearts again and again—and we will join the angels and unfallen realms in their praise of Him who made it all.
So, “Everything on earth, join in and praise the Eternal; sea monsters and creatures of the deep,
Lightning and hail, snow and foggy mists, violent winds all respond to His command.
Mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedar forests, All you animals both wild and tame,… praise the Lord….His glory shines greater than anything above or below”! (The Voice Bible).
Virginia Davidson
Artist—designing and building stained glass windows, Spokane Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church, Washington USA (as of this writing)
